TOKYO -- Annika Sorenstam shot a 2-under-par 70 on Friday to
take a one-stroke lead in the Nichirei Cup, her last tournament
before playing in the PGA Tour's Colonial.
Sorenstam had three birdies and one bogey on the Tokyo Yomiuri
course to finish 36 holes at 8-under 136. Japan's Junko Yasui, tied
with Sorenstam after the first round, was second after a 71.
"Today's round wasn't as solid as yesterday's,'' said
Sorenstam, who shot a 66 on Thursday. "I wasn't hitting the ball like
I wanted to and was short on almost every green.''
Sorenstam, set to face the men in two weeks in Fort Worth,
Texas, had her first birdie of the day on the par-5 sixth hole,
hitting a sand wedge to 11 feet and making the uphill putt.
The Swedish star reached 8 under with a 15-foot birdie putt on
No. 14, but dropped a stroke on the next hole when her approach
found the greenside bunker and she two-putted for bogey. She added
a two-putt birdie on the par-5 17th to return to 8 under.
"The wind made it very difficult,'' Sorenstam said. "I kept
throwing grass up to check the direction and it was different every
time.''
Sorenstam, who won 13 worldwide events last year, was sixth last
week in the Michelob Light Open in Virginia, and has one victory in
five starts this year. She will become the first woman to play on
the PGA Tour since Babe Zaharias in the 1945 Los Angeles Open.
"My driving is very good,'' Sorenstam said. "My putting and
chip shots are pretty good but not perfect and occasionally lead to
mistakes that result in bogeys.''
Yasui also birdied the 17th, but closed with a bogey on the
par-3 18th to finish one stroke back.
"I played well today,'' Yasui said. "But the putts didn't drop
like yesterday and it will be tough to beat Annika.''
Defending champion Yuri Fudo of Japan was five strokes back
after a 67.